Improvement in tamping-flugs for blasting



E. GOMEZ.

Tampng Plug.

No. 102,250. Patented Apr1120, 1070.

and

vuted tateaf @anni @titille EDWIN GOMEZ, or NEW YORK, N. Y..

.Letters Patent No. 102,250, dated April 26, 181 0.

To all whom it may conce/rn Be it known that I, Enwm GOMEZ, of the cityand State of New York,have invented and made a new and usefulImprovement in 'ramping-Plugs for Blasting; Sac.; and the following ishereby declared to be a l correct description of thesame.

' Extended experiments have heretofore been made for ascertaining theultimate force of gunpowder,but with varying and unsatisfactory results,because the chamber in which the explosive material has been couned hasgenerally been enlarged by the portion ofthe powder first exploding, andthe remainder of the powder eitherdoes not all burnor else does notaugment the first instantaneous pressure, but the gases expand into theenlarging chamber.

The object of my present invention is to efectually retain the force ofexploding gunpowder so that none of it is'lost, but it is simplyetlectivein rupturing the walls of the chamber in which thel explosivematerial is confined. f

. In the drawing- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improvedtamping-plug;

Figure 2 is a view of the upper end of said plug;

. Figure 3 shows the lower end of the plug and secondary chamber.

I makeiuse of a two-part tamping-piug, the outer portion, a, being of asize to fit inside the oil-well, saltwell, artesian-well, cannon, orother chamber within which the explosion is to take place.

This plug a has within it a tapering opening, into which is placed atapering expander, b, having its larger end toward the chamber c, inwhichA the explosion is to take place.

At the larger end of the expander b is a secondary chamber, d,containing a charge of explosive material that is to be red before themain charge, e, and drive the expander b into the plug a, so as tospread the said plug a and hold it firmly within the walls of thechamber, and, when the main charge is exploded, it acts to tighten theplug by driving the expander still further into the plug.

In order to facilitate the expansion of the plug a, there may belongitudinal incisions, asat 2 2, so that the said plug maysplit'open insections when the expanderV is fbrced endwise by the explosion of thecharge in d, and sand may be run in upon the plug a to give' additionalfriotional adhesion when the plug is expanded. y

I have shown a nipple, f, containing onenend of a fuse, n. which I callthe lighting-fuse or train, and which is described in Letters 'PatentNo. 18,199. This fuse 'n passes through the. expander b to the `chargein the secondary chamber d. Said fuse may go through a small hole directto d or pass out of the side, as shown; and from the charge ind the fuseleads to the charge e.

The nipple f mayreceive a percussion cap, 3, and a protecting-cap, 4,the cap 3 being exploded by a weight dropped upon it, or'the chargcin dmay he fired in any other desired manner.

The charges in the chamber c are shown as a coil cartridge, such as setforth in Letters Patent No. 21,-

253, and I remark that the same, and also the charge in the chamber d,may be of any desired ,size or kind;

and, by ignit'ing the charge in the chamber d at the inner end, theeffect on the expander will be more lpowerful than it would bev ifignited at the outer end.

I have'shown the coil cartridge e as connected with the fuse a andoccupying the chamber c, and two or more may be connected together, soas to have the explosion of the second charge to augment and follow upthe eect of the first charge.

By this improvement the danger of blasting is almost entirely removed,because the frequent accidents resulting from ramming the tamping areavoided, and by vmy plan the force of powder is directed upon the rockinstead of rexpending itself, as now frequent, in blowing out thetamping.

In warfare, this tamping-plug and fuse can be applied to batteries orseparate guns, and the guns destroyed in mass at the last moment, whenit isimpossible to hold them longer, this taking thefplaceof spikingWhere several guns are to be thus burst, the said fuse will have to beled from one' tanipiugplug to the next cannon and plug throughout theentire number.

In wells or holes in rocks where an explosion is desired at anyone'point, the tamping-plug can be applied below the charge as well asabove the same, and the plug itself may be made of separate parts, heldtogether by tongues and grooves or dowels.

IVhere the tamping-plugs are of wood, the chamber' d may be a metallictube inserted, and the fuse n, passing 'fromone plug to the other,(where two are used,)

may go through a metal tube from one to the other, I

and then pass to the charge e. O

A rubber jacket may surround the plug a to aid iu rendering the partsgas-tight.

I prefer to use the tamping-plug separately, but it` might be attachedto the cartridge or torpedo itself.

The fuse 'n and coil cartridge e are shown in the drawing as withinacase containing powder. The object of this is to obtain the ultimateforce 'of gun- -powder by an instantaneous explosion of the Whole mass.By using the coil `cartridge e and fuse n I find that a great .volume offlame in perfectv combustion is instantly forced to all parts of thepowder-chamber,

causing the ignition of the guupowder in a much more perfect manner thanheretofore, and effecting greater results with given weights ofgunpowder because none escapes unconsumed. The length of fuse betweenthe charge e and that in d is to be such as to allow the plugs to bedriven before the main explosion, or the quick-firing fuse may bedivided and a slow match or other fuse used to unite the ends. Thismeans for confining the charge is of great advantage, especially as itprevents upward discharges through the hole, and lessens the risk ofinjury to. contiguous buildings in cities, and, by confining the gases,the'explosion of gunpowder .is rendered as eective as the dangerousnitro-glycerine and other compounds, and, the gases being conned and thecombustion ren dered perfect, there is vbut littlev smoke in confined.places to interfere with the workmen, and there is Vlittle or no noisefrom the iring of a charge in'rocks, as 'the force appears to beexpended in splitting the rock belowthe tamping-plug. This plug might beused at the rear end of a breech-loading or other gun in which the boreruns'all through, said plug acting to close the same ei'ectually againstthe explosion.

Iclairn as my invention- 1. A conical expander, passing into the conicalhole of 'the cylindrical plug and expanding the sameV when the charge isexploded, as and for the purposes specified.

2. The tamping-plug a, in combination with the expander b and chambersubstantially as set forth.

. 3. The plug a, expander b, and chamber d,in cem- Ibnaticn with thefuse n and nipple .3, substantially as specified. l v

Signed this 26th day of October, A. D. 1869.

EDWIN GOMEZ.

Witnesses:

Gno. D. WALKER, GEO. T. PINCKNEY.

